A judge's unexplained transfer of the South County schools corruption case to a Chula Vista courtroom has surprised lawyers on both sides.

Defense attorney Marc Carlos, who represents recently re-elected Sweetwater school board member Pearl Quiñones on bribery and other charges, said he would have preferred the case remain in San Diego.

“I went to the school board meeting they had out there on Third Avenue and the amount of bad blood from some of the parents there really kind of filled the entire gymnasium,” Carlos said. “I don’t know if the defendants can get a fair trial there, given the fact that most of the citizens have heard about the case through the news and may have kids or relatives in the district.”

The case was transferred by order Friday from downtown San Diego to the Chula Vista courthouse, where Judge Stephanie Sontag will now preside over the case. Court spokeswoman Karen Dalton said hearings scheduled to take place this Wednesday at the downtown San Diego court will now be held in Chula Vista.

It was not immediately clear who requested the transfer or on what grounds the change was sought. The order signed last week by Judge Timothy Walsh does not specify a reason, as called for in the court’s rules.

“Until now, one Superior Court judge downtown has been assigned to this case for all matters and is familiar with it,” spokesman Steve Walker said in a statement. “Our office was surprised when we heard it had suddenly been transferred to South Bay. We have no idea why the Court has taken this action.”

Dalton said the court will work to make sure the defendants receive a fair trial and that both the prosecution and defense will be permitted to question potential jurors.

“As we do with all cases, the court will summon a wide range community members to the courthouse to serve as potential jurors,” she said. “Attorneys on both sides will question those potential jurors.”

The criminal case began in January 2012, when District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis announced dozens of charges against four current and former Sweetwater officials and one contractor.

Early this year, the case grew to include 15 defendants from three districts facing hundreds of counts. Until the transfer was approved last week, the case had been overseen by Judge Michael Smyth.

Lawyer James Pokorny, who represented San Ysidro Superintendent Manuel Paul and Sweetwater school board members James Cartmill and Bertha Lopez during the grand jury phase, said he knew nothing about the transfer until Monday. Pokorny said he does not expect to be involved in the case after Wednesday.

Former District Attorney Paul Pfingst, now a criminal defense attorney representing former Sweetwater Superintendent Jesus Gandara, said he heard about the change over the weekend.

“I don’t know why it took place,” Pfingst said. “I assume it was simply a case of the judges getting together and saying ‘Why is a case about the South Bay not in the South Bay?’”

Fifteen current and former officials from the Sweetwater, San Ysidro and Southwestern College school districts and contractors face corruption charges as District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis builds a case alleging that officials partook of meals, sporting events, plays and other considerations in exchange for multimillion dollar school bond construction contracts.